Businesses in disconnect on cyber-defence

C-suite and IT decision makers view cyber-security differently.

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There’s a severe disconnect between IT decision makers and C-suite executives when it comes to handling cyber attacks. Namely, both believe the other one is responsible for keeping a company safe. This is according to a new and extensive research by BAE Systems. A total of 221 C-suite executives, and 984 IT decision makers were polled or the report.

According to the research, a third (35 per cent) of C-suite executives believe IT teams are responsible for data breaches. On the other hand, 50 per cent of IT decision makers would place that responsibility in the hands of their senior management.

Cost estimates of a successful breach also differ. IT decision makers think it would set them back $19.2 million, while C-suite thinks of a lesser figure - $11.6m.

C-level thinks a tenth (10 per cent) of their company’s IT budget is spent on cyber security, while IT decision makers think that’s 15 per cent.

Also, 84 per cent of C-suite, and 81 per cent of IT teams believe they have the right protection set up.

“This research confirms the importance that business leaders place on cyber security in their organisations. However, it also shows an interesting disparity between the views of C-level respondents and those of IT Decision Makers. Each group’s understanding of the nature of cyber threats, and of the way they translate into business and technological risks, can be very different,” commented Kevin Taylor, Managing Director of BAE Systems Applied Intelligence.

“With successful cyber-attacks regularly making headline news, our findings make it clear that the C-suite and IT teams recognise the risks but need to concentrate on bridging the intelligence gap to build a robust defence against this growing threat.”